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PART OF THE BAHA' I HISTORY
OF THE FAMILY OF
CHARLES AND MARIA IOAS
August, 1978
I
We do not in this compilation discuss in any way the
work of Hand of the Cause Leroy Ioas, and his wife Sylvia,
while living in Haifa. For published article about Leroy,
see THE BAHA'I WORLD , Volume XIV, 1963-1968, page 291.
This report is offered by the five living children of
Charles and Maria Ioas, August 1978.
Viola Tuttle
Margarite Ullrich
Monroe, Paul, and Joseph Ioas
Monroe C. loas 1900 S. Grove Avenue
Berwyn, IL 60402
Charles Ioas
Maria Ioas
PROLOGUE
For a long time I have felt that someone should record the /
exper iences of the Ioas fa~ily with ' Abdu'l-Baha, particularly since the
number of people who met Him during His visit to America in 1912 i~; rapidly
decreasing, and the new Baha'is have little opportunity to t alk with anyone
who lived through those blessed days. 'Abdu'l-Bah:i said that He loved our
whole family from top to bottom, and Shoghi Effendi , the Guardian, said
that ours was the most important family in America . This is repeated in
great humility and is explained as follows:
When Leroy was living in Haifa, someone in the family wrote
him concerning a statement that seemed to be going around about the Ioas
family , and he responded as follows:
"Shoghi Effendi's reference to our family in connection with the Bolton family of Australia, was as follows:
"When the Boltons were here at dinner one night, they said how wonderful it was to be in the Holy Land and sitting with the Guardian at thE~ same time with the Io as' s from Ameri ca. The Guardian said that i n the Holy Land, the most important family in Australia was united wit h the most important family in America. He spoke then of the teaching work done by both families, and that is the importance , no other-- that they an~ both families where all are active in the Faith, and accomplishing .much for it . At another time the question came up of the wonderful work done by the Fozdars in India, and then later on, in pioneering. He spoke of them as the most important family in India. I think, although I am not sure, someone later brought up the matter, and he spoke of these three families as being the most important in the countries where they reside, 111
The recording task seemed overwhelming, but my daughter
Florence .agreed to assist me . We have accordingly recounted brie~fly
some of the incidents with the various members of the family.
Margarite Ioas Ullrich
'
On December 6, 1865, in Passau, Bavaria, twin girls were born to
Daniel and Rosa Werlein Reiser, one named Otillia and the other, Naria Bertha.
Hr. Reiser was killed in the Franco-Prussian War when the girls were three. Hrs .
Reiser died when they were five, and Otillia was soon adopted by a Frenc:h countess.
Although the countess had promised not to take Otillia out of Germany, she soon
changed her mind and raised Otillia in Paris and elsewhere.
Maria went to Munich to live with her Aunt Theresa and Uncle Joseph
Nothaas and her older cousin, Nax. This bright, brown-eyed little girl attended a
French kindergarten and learned to speak French and English as well as German . It
is believed that Maria 1 s uncle was a type of steward to King Ludwig II .and had a
confidential position with him. When Ludwig was just a prince, Haria had been one
of his playmates. Maria in later years related the event of her dancing as a young
girl the part of the wicked fairy in Sleeping Beauty in the palace before the King.
Maria was so lonely as a child that "when six years of age , she
would take all her dolls to bed with her, calling them her brothers and sisters ,
and often falling on the floor herself because her 'family ' took all the room !
She vowed then that when she grew up, she would have at least 12 children, so
none would ever be lonely."*
In 1880 the Nothaas came to visit America and brought Haria with
them. She was 15 or 16 years old . With the group was her cousin's college room
mate, Karl Joas, who had just graduated from the University of Munich .
1, In Hemoriam,.Baha'i World, Vol. XII, page 688.
1
!
Karl Joas (Charles Ioas) was born in Munich, Germany, on Narch 23,
1859. Little is known of Karl's family except that he had one sister . His uncle, \
Thomas Kommerzienvat, was one of the twelve wealthiest men in Bavaria, owning
steamship lines, a brewery, and The Crown Jewelry Store. This uncle left a sizable
inheritance to Karl , who sorely needed the money for his growing family, but he
would have had to return to Germany to live (the German government would not allow ,
funds to be taken fror.1 the country), and this he would not do. After World War I,
the legacy was gone. I
When the trip to America was drawing to a close, and 'i>Ia1:ia 's aunt
and uncle were about to return to Germany, Maria and Charles decided to Clarry and
reoain in America• Although Mari:a had been reared a Catholic and Charles a Lutheran,
they were married by a Methodist minister. They wanted to start a new life in a
new country, as Charles frequently said "I am a citizen of the world. ff
Charles spoke seven languages and was a brilliant scholar . He
studied law with a judge in Kansas (who said that Charles was the most brilliant
student he had ever had) and passed his Bar Examination at the age of 21, after
which he practiced law. He was also a Certified Public Accountant, and at one
time worked with the Civil Service. Later he was offered a Professorship at the
University of Illinois, but declined because of his German accent, of which he
was always conscious, although it was very slight. }{aria had a profession too---
when the need arose, she set up her photography studio to help the family.
Charles' and Maria's travels were considerable in this country.
They first lived in Russell, Kansas, where he studied law with the judge. George,
Arthur, and Rudolph were all born in the vicinity of Wichita, Kansas. Pauline
greeted the world in Willow Springs, Missour i. The family also lived in Spring-
field, Arkansas (near Little Rock) . When Charles accepted a position i.n Chicago,
Maria travelled on the train with their four little children, all under the age
of seven, to join him. Their last six children were born in the Chicago area .
Actually, Naria's vow to have twelve children was fulfilled , as there we:ce two
more children who died either at birth or in early infancy .
During these years Otillia , Maria' s twin sist er, was engaged to a
prominent and wealthy Austrian . They were to honeymoon in America and visit Maria.
The sisters longed to see each other. However, the valet of Otillia's fiance
found him in bed one morning several weeks before the wedding , dead of an apparent
heart attack. In the following years, Otillia married a Parisian and had two
children. She never came to America, and the sisters never met again. Otillia
died at the age of 38.
Although Charles and Maria joined the Methodist church, they were
continually seeking something else to satisfy their spiritual needs. Charles was
always buying books dealing with the interpretation of the Book of Revelation and
those which might help in his search fo r the return of Christ.
In 1896 two or three months before Leroy was born , Maria was sound
asleep, and a heavy pressure on her chest awakened her. As she awoke and looked
up, a woman was leaning over her and had her two hands on Maria ' s chest. She was
a beautiful woman , garbed like an angel, although Naria didn ' t see any wings. As
she leaned over Maria , she said "I come again, I corae again , 11 and there were
little angels flying all around the room singing. After she said 11! come again,"
everything gradually disappeared . Haria was frightened and woke up Charles.
Maria dictated this story to one of her daughters in later years :
"I was brought up a Catholic, but even as a chil d of ten years of age , I rebelled against certain things of the Catholic church ; for instance, telling of my inmost thought s ; in other wo rds , confessing, t o an entirely strange man . Yet I loved to go as a child in a big Catholic church. For inst ance, in the afternoon when no one else was in the church, I would love to go and just sit and meditate, as there was such a peace in t he church , so much so that I wished I could sit there all the time, but I made up my mind that when I could use my own will , I would never be a Catholic. I came to America, and we we r e married here by a l·Iethoclist minister. Later we joined the Nethodist church , but I was never sat isfi ed .
"From the time I joined the ~ethodist church---for 17 years, I prayed every day that I might find something that would satisfy me. It seemed that every time I prayed for this light, a curtain hung before my eyes and just behind the curtain was the thing for which I was seeking. So anxious was I in my prayers and in my desire for this thing that oftentimes I would try to push the curtain aside. When Father's !fother was still living, probably at the age of 15 or 16, she would tell him that she would never live to see Christ's return, but that he would. After being told t.his by his mother, he also was always searching, reading, and looking for Christ's return.
"In April, 1898, a friend invited us to some lectures which she had attended. She seemed to be all aflame with the Message she received, although she would not tell us anything about it, but just urged u~; to go and hear for ourselves. Ny husband never cared for, as he called them, 'isms' and cults, but seeing her enthusiasm, he promised we would go to hear Hr. Dealy, the gentleman who gave the lectures.
"The first lecture was on the soul, and Father was immediately impressed with it . We both went again and again, and at the third or fourth lesson, a prayer that Dr. Khayru'llah brought was given to each one of us to use every day", and acertain line in that prayer 'And the curtains were torn asunder and the faithful hurried to the lights of their God, the Chosen One' seemed to be the direct answer to my prayer, tearing asunder the curtain which was veiling me for so many years from the things I was seeking. Altogether we attended 12 lectures consisting of signs of the time, prophecies about the vineyard, etc. One les::ion we were given prophecies to look up. The one in the Bible about Christ preparing a feast and then no one came, and He told His disciples to call them in from the highways and by-ways, I was the only one to decipher correctly the meaning that people were being given the chance to accept this truth, but were not accepting.
"It took nearly three months, one lesson a week to go through the course. Mr. Dealy lived on the north side of the city, we on the west side, one hour's ride on the street car, and as I was in a rather delicate condition, it was difficult some of the evenings to go, but the lessons were so interes ting and the longing to know what the next lesson would bring and the urge to go were irresistible, that we didn't miss a lesson. And when at t he twelfth lesson Mr . Dealy told us that God in His love and mercy for mankind had again manifested His Spirit on earth in a human temple in Baha ' u'llah, there was a stillness in t hat room---it seemed as if everyone's breath had stopped; it seemed as if it was too much for our hearts to bear. I think we all forgot that we were in Mr . Dealy's home . After a little while he told us that Baha'u'llah had ascended to His Kingdom , but He left with us His son, 'Abdu'l-Bah~, as the Exemplar of the Baha'i Faith.
"In the early days of this Faith, it was customary for the· friends who accepted the Baha'i Teachings to write a supplication to 'Abdu '1-Baha, acknowledging this Truth and also asking for accepta.nce. I asked Hr. Dealy if I might take a copy of the form letter home to write to 'Abdu' 1-Baha", but he said I would have to write the lettE!r at his house, so shortly before midnight [July 6, 1898}, my husband and I wrote our letter to 'Abdu'l-Baha, and then went home, so tired, but oh, so happy.
I
110ne of the most interesting and peculiar incidents in all this was that at the time I was going to these lessons, I was expecting a baby (our ninth child), and at the time, I was quite ill, and I would have to rest all day in oraer to attend the lecture that evening, Each evening Mr. Dealy would ask me if I thought I would be over for the next one. I always answered, 'If I am able, I certainly wd.11.' I was able to attend all the lessons, and at the last lesson about midnight, we wrote our letter to 'Abdu 'l-Baha, as was the custom, accepting this great Truth , and then returned home. Later in the morning I was quite ill and called the doctor, and he informed me that he was sure my baby would not live when it came as it was turned around the wrong way . I felt dreadful about this, feeling badly all day. About 5 :00 that night, I again called the doctor , and after looking at me, he said, 'Something wonderful has happened , and your baby \·Till be all right. It has turned around i ts elf, and it will now be a natural birth.' For a long time after this , the baby (Margarite Hope) was called 'the Dealy baby.'
"Only those accepting the Truth in the class were we two and Hr . Hoffman. There were also classes on the south side consisting of Hr. Jones and Hr. Chase.
"'Abdu' l-Karim told Mr. Khayru'llah , a Syrian , about the~ teachings, and he brought them to America and started classes. Now, however , he has turned against 'Abdu'l-Baha, although he really did a wonderful work bringing the Teachings over to America.
5
"I realized then that my prayers had been answered, and this was what I had always been looking for, and so did Father."
The Charles Ioas family was very large. There were twel ve
children. Two of ther.1 died in infancy . The first one was Carl, but he did not
live . Then George, Arthur, Rudolph , Esther who died at birth , Pauline, Viola,
Leroy, Margarite, Nonroe, Paul, and Joseph.
Again in Maria ' s words:
"I had to stay pretty close to home taking care of my family , but my husband would go to the meetings and tell us all about them. One evening he brought home a very small piece of an envelope (the first raail from Acea). The House of Spirituality had cut the envelope into small pieces and given each one of the friends who were at the meeting a piece--what a treasure! I still have our piece . How happy the friends were when one of them would receive a Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Baha and share its contents with others .
11Father had always been a Bible student , had read the Bible in Greek, and in the evenings we studied and took up prophecies, but what a difference in reading the Bible after we had the key and could
{
understand---such wonderful evenings. He started a class and the children would sit and listen, and so they just grew up with this great Faith.i:
When I was young, I attended the Hethodist church . As you know,
one of the first teachings of Baha'u'llah is to investigate religion for yourself.
And so when we were children, we attended the various churches in the town where
we lived, but at the same time we learned about the Laha' {Teachings at home. I
can still see all of us sitting around our big dining room table listening to my
father explaining the Bible . One verse in particular still rings in my ears :
:'llFor I know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latt1~r day upon
the earth. 11 ~<
In 1900 a tablet came to Father from 'Abdu!l-Baha:
11To the honorable Hr. C. Ioas---110 thou who hast advanced toward God!
By God, I rejoiced when reading thy letter which declares thy belief in the unity of God and thine acknowledgment of the appearance of the Kingdom of God . This is a matter whereby thy face shall brighten in the Supreme Concour se, and thy forehead shall sparkle among the people. Then know the worth of this gift, the lights of which shone forth unto all directions and indicate the attraction of th~ Concourse of El- Abha, the Host Glorious. Then be finn in this Cause, and thou wilt behold thyself in a lofty station , having all that is in earth under its shadow, because , this is verily that gift which is mentioned in the Gospel . 0 how good is this bounty in this day , when the commemor ation of the true God is published and spread in all directions!
El-Baha be upon thee! 11
Star of the West, Vol . IX,pp.78-9
Father had the great bounty and honor of being on the f irs t
Spiritual Assembly, called the House of Spirituality, in Chicago, which was
formed in the year 1901. He and Mr . Albert Windust were appointed in 1903
to compose the letter to 'Abdu'l-Baha asking permission to build a Ma~~riqu'l-
Adhkar :
1< Job 19:25
/ 2
:
"ALLAHO'ABHA
110 our beloved Lord and Master!
"The members of the House of Spirituality assembled together in His Name on Saturday evening, Harch 7, 1903, supplicate with humility and submissiveness before Thy Holy Presence:
7
11tJe, so unproHtable and unworthy of the great gifts that God. the Merciful, the Generous, hath showered upon us, could not have hoped for a continuance of His brilliant bounties; but there was read to us at this meeting a beautiful letter of our revered teacher and friend, Mirza Assad ' Ullah, holding out that which dilated the hearts with joy and assurance, and caused all to be of one mind and accord.
"The Spiri t of God became manifest, and we were enkindled with the fire of the Love of God that burnt and melted all other thoughts and des:lres into one great desire:
"That in these parts and regions there may arise a Mashrek-el- Azkar,* built in the Name of the Glorious God, and that there may go for t h f rom the shelter of its Beauty rays of brilliant Light, diffusing the fragrances of EL'ABHA over these wide and expectant lands.
"Oh, how could we hope for such incomparable favors, - we, the weak, the unworthy, the hesitating, the fearful !
"We turn our faces to the HOLY THRESHOLD , and in the dust before the feet of all the Beloved of God we pray to our God, the Merciful, the Gen•erous:
"O GO!) , Thou knowest that we are weak and needy ; there is no strength, no ability in us! But Thou art He Who doeth what He Willeth, and Choosest the weak, that in his victory may become manifest THY strength and power !
"O GOD ! Make Thy Cause arise in these regions, and Thy Glorious Te:mple in this Western City!
"Thou art the Mighty, The Omnipotent !
"O our Gracious Master, The Beloved!
"We supplicate before Thee, who art the Servant of God and the Center of His . Covenant:
"We implore from Thee the Mashrek-el-Azkar, and from Thy precious l ips, on the part of God , the Most Merciful , that Creative Word which is th~ Command that it BE and it IS!
"O our Lord! Permit us to begin the blessed undertaking of . the erection of the Mashrek-el-Azkar in Chicago!
"We pr ay for wisdom and strength; we pray for Thy Mighty Assistance ,
*Later Shoghi Effendi said the spelling should be "Mashriqu'l-Adhkar . "
_.
knowing Thou a.ct the Helper, and in that Help GOD makes us strong!
11In joy and hope, that Thou wilt grant our supplication, the elevem members present raised among themselves a starting fund of Eleven Hundred Dollars ($1100. 00) .
!!Wi th gratitude abounding and longing for Thee,
Humbly Thy servants,
THE HOUSE OF SPIRITUALITY"
(Drafted by Nr. Charles Ioas and Hr. A. R. Windust)
The reply .was as follows:
11To the Honored !•!embers of the House of Spirituality, Chicago i1ay the Glory of God be upon them!
'~hornton Chase, Charles Ioas , Oscar S. Hinckley, Byron S. Lane, Chester D. Thatcher, Albert Windust, Rufus Bartlett, Henry Goodale, George Lesch, Arthur Agnew
11He is God !
"O ye who are attracted ! 0 ye who are firm ! 0 ye who are zealous in the service of the Cause of God and are sacrificers of possessions and l ives for t he pr omotion of the Word of God!
" I perused your r ecent letter dated }!arch 7 , 1903 , and my heart was fi lled with joy through its beautiful meanings and its eloquent contents . Truly they were suggested by the breaths of confirmation from the Glorious Lord .
110 friends of ' Abdu'l-Baha and His co-sharers and partners in the servitude of the Lord of Hosts ! Verily the greatest affair and the most important matter today is to establish a Mashrek-el-Azcar and to found a Temple from which the voices of praise may rise to the Kingdom to the Maj estic Lord. Blessings be upon ye for having thought to do so and intended to erect such an edifice, advancing all in devoting your wealth in this great purpose and in this splendid work . You will soon sec: the angels of conf irmation succeeding you and the hosts of re-inforcemient crowding before you.
•:when the Nashrek-el-Azcar i s accomplished, when the lights are emanating therefrom, the righteous ones are presenting themselves therein , the prayers are performed with supplication t owards the Hysterious Kingdom of Heaven , the voice of glorification is raised to the Lord, the Supreme; then t he believers shall rej oice, the hearts shall be dilated and overflowed with the love of the All-Living and Self- existent (God). The people shall hasten to worship in that heavenly temple, the fragrance of God will be elevated , the Divine Teachings will be established :ln the hearts like the establishment of t he Spirit in mankind, the people will t hen stand firm in the Cause of your Lord, the Merciful.
"Upon ye be greeting and praisel ! Abdul Baha Abbas "
. Tr . by M.A.F . July 2, 1903
.:
This, then, was the beginning . The first Baha 'i Temple Unity
convention was held at the same tirae that 'Abdu'l-Baha laid the precious remains
of the Bab to rest in His shrine on Mt. Carmel in March, 1909 .
After the first convention thls t ablet came from 'Abdu'l.-Baha;·
11Through Dr. Fareed, to the Secretaries of the .Convention
of Delegates from the Mashrek-el-Azkar, Charles Ioas and Gertrude Buikema
Chicago.
11HE IS GOD!
"O ye two candles of the Meeting of the Friends!
"The secretary in the meeting of the spiritual ones mus t be shining as candle, for he is the medium for communicating · thought:~ and the explanation of Hysteries .
:'Praise be to God that the Convention of t he delegates for the Hashrek-el-Azkar was held in perfect order and that the member::> assembled in that spiritual meeting with radiant faces, heavenly hearts, merciful spirits and the glad tidings of the Kingdom and consulted and deliberated respecting the founding of the i:fashrek-el- Azkar.
founded, America, endless .
"Although hereafter thousands of Nashrek-el-Azkars will be yet as this Mashrek-el-Azkar is the first Divine Institute in therefore it is very important and its results and fruits are Soon will some of its results become known and evident.
"In brief: The delegates who congregated in that lordly Assemblage and engaged in the service of the Divine .Kingdom must be thanksgiving night and day, for they were thus aided and confirmed and left a ' footprint ' (trace) of which eternal~ty is an inherent quality (or necessity) . \
"Although the importance of this Divine Institute is not very evident now, yet in the future it will be clear and plain as the sun.
0 Although the letter which details the pro ceedings of the Convention (the minutes : trans.) has not yet arrived , yet this brief answer is written .
"The revered delegates have requested Abdul-Baha to acc:ept the presidency of the Convention for founding t he Hashrek-el-Azkar and that among the beloved ones of the East honorary members b~lected for the Convention of the }fashrek- el-Azkar of the West : God willing, from the East members will be designated for that revered Assemblage, but Abdul Baha's purpose is to be the Servant of t hat Convention and not its president. He desires to serve and not to obtain membership. This is the cause of Hy joy and I hope to attain this goal and de~: ire.
11Upon ye be Baha-el-ABHA! Translated by His wish
b;.r !)r . ..\:.:e en U. ~;.:'!r:c ... !
:
10
, The conventions were held yearly, and work progressed as has been
detailed elsewhere .
Mother wanted 'Abdu'l-Baha to name her last baby, born in 1907. As
the. mai.ls were very slow, it was frequently six months to one year beforei a r eply
wa·s received. She wondered if He had even received her letter. In the oeantime
the sewing circle to which Hother belonged kept asking why the baby wasn't named.
When he was quite a few months old and still wasn 't named, they said they were
going to name him, so Mother said they could give him a second name , which they
did. They selected the name of Clyde, the name of the town where we lived.
All the time Mother was waiting for the name from 'Abdu' 1-Baha,
she was a little apprehensive, thinking that ~n all probability it would be a
Persian name. The people in the town liked the Ioas family, but they always
spoke of us as the people with the queer religion . If the baby had a Persian
name, they would surely think it was queer. Interestingly enough, the women of
the Ladies' Aid Society always asked Hother to give the prayer at their meetings
because they loved the Baha ' i pray(?.rs.
The reply eventually came from ' Abdu 'l-Baha, and the first thing
which :Mother saw was, 11Name thy dear baby Joseph . 11 The other boys all had 11Charles 11
for a middle name, and Joseph later changed the name of "Clyde" to 11 Charles. 11
The whole Tablet seemed to be an admonition forjche members of the
family to work for the Faith. I quote it herewith:
:'Through Nr. Arthur Agnew Maria Ioas Chicago
"He is God !
110 thou dear maid servant of God.
11Thy letter was received -and through its perusal , gladness was obtained. Name t hy dear baby Joseph. I pray for him and ask confirmation for him. I hope thou mayst become so spiritual as to seve:c and change every soul thou chancest to meet and consort with. I am ever thoughtful concerning that family and ask the Lord of the Kingdom to confirm your household more and more daily. Thus may it serve the Cause
of God, move according to its will, spread the Divine fragrances, E~ducate t he children, give life to souls and prove t he cause of illumination to the world of humanity.
11Upon t hee be El - Baha-El- Abha
(Signed) Abdul- Baha Abbas 11
Translated by Dr. Fareed, Haifa, December 15, 1908
Hother always wished that she might have a little flower which
' Ab du ' 1-Bah~ had held in His hands . m1en Mr . and Hrs . Agnew went to Acea in 1907,
Hother went to say good-bye. She had planned to ask them to bring her a flower
which ' Abdu ' l-Ilah& had been holding, but on the streetcar going across t own, she
changed her mind. How could she be so audacious as to ask for a flower! She
felt that ' Abdu' l - Baha knew how s he wo uld treasure a flower from Him , and when
she was deserving of it, she would get one. She didn 't know how, but she was
sure when she was worthy, she would ge t one. So she did not mention it to Nrs .
Agnew.
And then in 1912 our Beloved l·1as ter, ' Abdu ' 1-Baha, came. to Chicago.
Can we ever forget those heavenly days? The f amily went many times to see Him ,
and these are a few incidents I would like to relate. ·
Mo ther tells this story:
11The first day that ' Abdu 'l-Bah~ was in Chicago, I went with Monroe (one of my children), then a small boy, to the Plaza Hotel to see Him. ' Abdu'l-Baha was out , so we waited for Him all afternoon. We were in the hall when He came out of the elevator, and He greE~ted us with much love , and then walked towar d His room and said , •·come , come,' beckoning to us as He spoke. I knew He was tired, and so hesitated to follow, but He again turned , and beckoning , said, 'Come , come.' I said to one of the interpreters, ''Abdu'l-Bah~ is so t ired , and it is enough that we have seen Him.' He replied, 'When 'Abdu '1-Baha says ' Come,' you ' d better come. ' And so we followed Him to His reception r oom. In a few minutes He came out of His room with some roses . He walked over to where I was sitting and handed me a ro:>e. Re looked at me with those eyes that could read one's very heart . There was no need of His telling me ,'This is the flower you have wished for many years . ' He then gave Monroe, Hrs. Ge tsinger, and 1ir . Hills a rose also. 11
1
One day at the home of a Baha'i in Ohio, where Mother was speaking,
she told the story of 'Abdu ' l - Bah£ and the rose. Hrs. Robinson, who was a poet,
sent Mother this poem which she had composed.
BALLAD OF A FLOWER
by Gertrude W. Robinson
You ask, What gift may you bring to me From that far, eastern Shore
ffQere the dream of nations is cradled? What gift From the Threshold of Beauty's door?
Ah - - - could you but bring me a little flower That has grown in that far land
Where Carmel has known His Presence? A f lower That drops from the Master's hand?
Yet no! Love asks no gift save this: To cherish the certitude
Of living faith that makes one staunch Through every vicissitude.
Bring me no gift . The joys I have known In the years <>f faith I have spent
Are the only blossoms I need, my friend. With these I am more than content.
* * * * * * The years have passed. The Master is here.
From the far, far East. HE~ came To bless a western w<>rld with the light
Of the Glory of God's fair Name !
He is here in our midst. He stops at the inn. My heart, beat not:fso wild!
I shall hasten there to ~ee Him pass I and my littl e child .
Here, my son, we shall take our stand . He comes through the portal door!
Ah, heart, bow down --- He is passing near How can one ask for more?
But the servant pausE~S. He beckons, 11Come ! " Yet the Master bears the trace
Of weariness. I shall not go . Enough to have seen His Face .
The 1'1aster Himself is beckoning, "Come!" While His eyes are searching mine,
And I cannot delay. I yield my will And follow, as to a shrine.
Majestic, yet humble, the Haster walks Through corridors to His room
And pauses in thought before a vase Where varied clusters bloom .
He is choosing one --- He turns to me How can I bear this hour?
In a holy hush, I hear His Voice, "Beloved, here is your flower!"
We have the recent words of Honroe telling about that incident /
when. he met 'Abdu'l-Baha:
"I went with Mother one afternoon to the Plaza Hotel to see ' Abdu ' l-Baha. He was out at the time so Mother and I waited in the hall. When He got off the elevator, He greeted Hother and kissed me on the forehead. Of course, I will always remember this as it made a profound impression on me. Naturally I wouldn't remember anything that was said--even people who were adults at the time mostly do not remember His :remarks, but rather impressions and words later published. It is hard to differentiate between memories and what we have learned from history and the written word. As you read the Bah£'{ Hagazine of Fall ' 71, you see ruost of the Baha'is of that time just remember impressions, not words. Hy greatest impression of Him is as of a Giant, pacing back and forth on the stage, admonishing and teaching mankind . We are and have been a
1 lucky family . 11
In talks throughout America Leroy has reported the following incident
of the first time he and Father went to see 'Abdu' 1-Bana"
"The first day ' Abdu 'l-13ah8: was in Chicago , He was staying at the Plaza Hotel on the north side of Chicago. My father and I, then a boy of 16 years of age, started out the morning the Bahais had the word that the !:-laster was going to receive the friends. We went to the Hotel on the elevated train, and as we got close to the north side , changed to go on the northside elevated. There were a number of other Baha'{s on the t rain, and we go t off and started to walk . Suddenly I said , 'We've got to hurry or we are going to miss the Master, ' and so we started to hurry along, and my father said to me, 'How do you know we are going to miss the Master? Do you know if He has an engagement that we are late for or anything, that He is going somewhere? ' I said, 'No, I don ' t, but I know if we don't hurry, we will miss the Master. 1
"Then we entered the Plaza Hotel , and I said, 'Let's hurry, the Master is going out the other side . ' Nind you, I had never seen the hotel and didn ' t know where it was and nothing about its construction.
'I
I said, 'The Master . is going out the other side, let's hurry.' Hy father said , 'How do vou know He is going out, did you see Him down there?' I said, ' No.' He said, 'Did you see any Persians with thcair turbans and so on?' I said, 'No.' He said , 'Well , how do you know that the Naster is going out?' I said, ' He is going out the other door, and I know it because I saw the light. '
"We hurried down and sure enough , there were two entranc.es, and we hurried down to the other one - out the other entrance, and the Master was just getting into the automobile to go to deliver His lecture at the Hull House which you have read so many times.
"As we stood agains t the building while He was in there, He suddenly mot ioned to us to come - come up to the machine, and I recall as we stepped forward the power, the spiritual radiance,the light· -flashes that came emanating from His person were such that I was completely overcome and overpowered and fainted . But after we approa·:hed gradually, and I came to, we approached and there wss this great light shining through Him and all you saw was a physical structure, outlining as it were a vehicle through which the power of the Spirit was flowing and flowing continuously, and I recalled as I walked up and finally took His hand, I felt it and f elt it to see if He was human like the rest of ours. Well, that was a terrific experience ."
Another day Father and Leroy went to visit ' Abdu 'l-Baha and had
another very interesting experience. Again we quote from a talk that Leroy gave,
this one at a farewell party given at the Bah.a '{ House of Worship in Wilmette,
Illinois, by the National Spiritual Assembly for the Leroy Ioas family on Saturday,
March 8, 1952, on the eve of Leroy ' s departure to take up residence in Haifa (his
wife , Sylvia, was to follow at a later date):
"I recall another little instance which I shall tell, one experience I had on another visit to the Naster in the Plaza Hotel. We were going there, and I decided I would like to buy Him some flowers, so I went in a florist shop. I didn't have much money, but I bought Him a beautiful bouquet of white carnations. I am very partial to carnations, particularly white. I bought this big bouquet of white carnations, and after we approached the hotel and got into the raain floor, I said to my father, 'I am just not going to bring the i-Iaster these flowers . ' He said, 'Why not? I don 't understand you, the Master loves flowers.' I said, 'I know He does, but I am not going to bring them' So under pressure, he asked why , and I said, 'I come to the Master offering Him my heart and I don't want Him to think that I am currying any favors. He knows the condition of a person's heart, and that is all I have to offer .' My father took the flowers and went upstairs, and he handed them to the Master, and the Master sat talking, feeling those flowers, smelling them, putting His face into them , and those of you who remember seeing the Haster and how He loved flowers, know how He would always bury His head right into them and smell the fragrance. With this, He gave this beautiful talk. I don 't know very much what it was about because I was so fascinated with His person .
' 11As often as I had the opportunity to be in the Master 1 s
presence, I didn't know very much about what He talked at the time because His person was so remarkable. Features, His features, His eyes were the most dynamic thing you ever saw. They were always changing color. They never were the same. Sometime they were very patient, other times they were full of fire, and sometimes they were. full of vigor. I saw Him once when His eyes were filled with the wrath of God, but His eyes were never the same. Once He turned His eyes on you and looked at you square in the face, you knew He had read your very soul, even before it existed.
11In any event, the Master gave this beautiful talk and after He finished, He stood up shaking hands with everyone, and to everyone He gave one of these white carnations . He shook hands with them and gave them a white carnation, shook hands with the next one and gave him a white carnation; shook hands with the next one and gave him a white carnation . These white carnations were getting to be very few, and I was standing behind 'Abdu' 1-Baha, and He had three or four le: ft , and I thought, 'Gee, I wish He would turn around and shake hands with me before those are all gone.' Just as I thought that, He turned around and looked at me, and He had a beautiful red rose . He pulled this red rose off His coat and handed it to me . As He did so , some of the blood of His finger was cut on the pin, so that I have that red rose with the Master's blood on it . 11
Mo ther or Father or both went to the Plaza Hotel many times,
always taking along one or two of the children and sometimes a neighbor's child
(none of whom ever accepted the Faith). I was just a girl of 13 when ' Abdu 'l
Baha- was in Chicago, and I can remember distinctly the first time my mother took
me to a meeting where He was going to speak. The pe.ople were all waiting for Him
to arrive, and when He entered the room and came close to me , I wanted to fall at
His feet, bu t instead I did what all t he others did , and that was to arise.
On one particular day Mother went, I went along. There were
other children there that day , and 'Abdu'l-Bah~ called us all into His sitting
\ room and seated Himself on the divan. We children grouped ourselves around His
knees, and lie covered us with His outstretched arms, His mantle falling over us
like t wo wings, shielding and protecting us from all harm. I was 13 at the time
and had been attending tne Nethodist Sunday School. We used to sing a song that
impressed me very much . I had thought how wonderful it would .be if such a thing
16
happened to me. This song is what came to my r:iind as we knelt at 'Abdu' 1-Baha' s
feet, and I thought "it's really happening to me!"
"I think when I read that sweet story of old, How when Jesus ~·1as here amongst men,
How Ha called little children as lambs to His fold; I would like to have been with Him then.
I wish that His hands had been placed on my head, That His arms had been thrown around me ,
And that I might have heard His kind words when He said, 'Let the little ones come unto He . "'
Not her said it reminded her of a quo tat ion from the Bible~,
"Suffer the little children to come unto t·fe, and forbid them not , for of such
is the Kingdom of heaven ." *
Paul has written r ecently:
11Yes, I saw ' Abdu 'l-Bah8: . Two incidents stund out in my mind. One was at the Hotel Plaza. He were in a large room, and several other youngsters and myself sat at His feet. As I reraer.iber, Ile, 'Abdu'l-Baha , was sitting on a chair and several youngsters including me,sat on the floor , about 2 or 3 on each side of Hira. Am quite sure a picture was not taken . I don't remember what 'Abdu'l-Baha sa:id , if anything, but I always remember Ahmad Schrab as His interpreter. I can see ' Abdu ' l-Baha talking with Ahmad Schrab at His side . Schrab always seemed to frighten me a little .
r:The other incident was in a quite large church. I was sitting up towards the front near the pulpit. I suppose the rest of the family was there also. The church was packed with people. Suddenly there was complete silence . Everyone stood up and 'Abdu'l-Baha came walking down the aisle with His interpreters. The awe and respect were so great , you could have heard a pin fall as He walked up on the platforn with the interpreters. I don't remember anything He said but that incident always stood out in my mind. The quietness that came over that huge throng of people was really something."
Mother was always concerned because she was so busy raisi~ng her
large family that she didn't have much time to teach, and besides , she didn't
think she was capable of teaching the Faith . One day when in the presence of
' Abdu'l-Baha , she said, '" Abdu '.1-Baha, what can I do to serve the Faith?" He
" replied, "Teach , teach," and she replied, 11 'Abdu'l-Baha, I can't teach . " He
replied: "The earth brings forth nothing of itself, but God causes the sun
to shine and rain to fall upon the earth , and it becomes fruitful, so you too
~' Luke 18: 16
17
can teach. 11 Then He told her there are many ways of teaching the Faith, and one
way is to live the life.
On another occasion when Mother went to see 'Abdu'l-Baha one of
her grandchildrgn, a baby girl, was very sick, and they didn't know what was wrong
with her, and so she told 'Abdu'l-Baha about it. He said to Mother, "The baby
will be healed! 11 And so she was. The doctor finally discovered what was wrong
with the baby. irnen the baby~itter had given her the bottle, she hadn't tried
the milk to ,see whether it was too hot. It was, and it scalded the baby's
throat. 'Abdu'l-Bah~ named the baby Mariam.
One of the boys, Arthur, took his wife and daughter, Althea, to
a gathering where 'Abdu'l-Baha was. During the course of the evening, 'Abdu'l-
Baha asked Eleanor if she were a Baha'i, and she said that she wasn't. 'Abdu'l-
/ ,. Bah-a told her that she was a Baha'i, and from that moment on, Eleanor always
considered herself as a Bah~'{. /
'Abdu'l-Baha took Althea on His knee and gave
her the name of Shireen (Sweet). The family moved to California after t he birth
of their son, Arthur Jr., and has done much teaching.
Viola wrote:
" .• • I attended one of 'Abdu'l-Baha 's lectures and was greatly impressed by Him. All of the stories we used to read about Him, of His loving kindness and patience, came to my mind as I watched Him pace back and forth on the platform while speaking. He seemed to possess great dignity and power, and majesty as well. Could this be the man who offered kindness for twenty-four years to an undeserving one and finally received a show of love and gratitude in return? Or the on1: who handled the Baha'i affairs so skilfully and faithfully in the Holy Land for the loved ones there? So you see, I did not hear much of His talk, but just kept thinking how wonderful He was!
111 do not recall much of Paula's experiences. I know that she was quite active in the young people's group of her time and that she was a firm and fine Baha'i. She believed implicitly that 'Abdu'lBaha could cure her baby) Haria.m, of her scalded throat. You recall that Ile told Mother that the baby would be healed. 11
18
In former years among the Baha ' i s the Ioas f ami ly was l ik•aned to
the seed of Abraham, and when Leroy was living in Haifa, someone in the family
wrote hi m about thi s . He r esponded as follows :
"One day Father and I went to the Plaza Hote l to see t he Master. As we were ushered into the Mas ter ' s room, some of the attendants seemed to bow quite low to Father and show him deference, one of them uttering something like Father Abraham. Lat er I asked Father wha t i t was about, and he said that t he Master t he day before had t alked to him about the Faith , about the teaching work , and about the family . The Master mentioned what a wonderful family he had , and said that be.cause Abraham remained firm in the Faith of God, God caused his seed to increase as the sands of the sea, and from that f amily came great servants, great t eachers, and even Prophets. The ~laster said t hat He hoped and would pray that all Father ' s family would be firra and grow in strength daily, and that his seed would prosper and from it arise many great teachers of the Faith, and great servants of t he Cause. He said that through finnness and strong fai t h , this would be the case. At least, t his is what I remember of what Father t old me . I don ' t know but what I told i-1onroe of it. I told very few , but I have heard it come back from a number of sources-whether it is all from me , or from others who might have heard the Nast er , I don ' t know."
One day Mother promised to take J oseph with her to see ' Abdu ' l-
Bah, . In later years, our sister, Viola, wrote as follows :
"Not her said t hat when ' Abdu ' l-Bah/ was here in Chicago, staying at the Plaza Hotel, she went a number of times to see Him, a.s He would spend most of His time talking with the believers . She said on one of the days she promised Joseph (whom ' Abdu'l-Bctha named) that the next day she would take hi m along. Unfortunately, that same day he fell and cut a gash i n his foreheaq. It was necessary to call the doctor who took several stitches in his head. (I remember it well, because I held Joseph still while the doctor took the stitches in his head, which called for all my personal fortitude.) The doc tor pl aced the white bandage on Joe 's head, and told Hother not to let Joe take! i t off and also that he should be careful not to jar the skin which had been sewed .
"That night Joe was saying sadly that he would not be able to see 'Abdu'l-Bah~ the next day, but Mother comforted him by saying, 'Let 's wait and see . Haybe tomorrow you will be much be t ter. ' This proved to be t he case, so the next day they both;vent t o see ' Abdli ' 1-·Baha.
"They were sitting in one of the rooms of the hotel, along with some other people , waiting fo r 'Abdu'l- Baha to make His appearance. When He did so , a young woman with a camera r ose quickl y,went over to Mrs . Getsinger and r equested her t o ask 1 Abdu' l-Bah~ i f Ile wo uld all ow her to take His picture with her little sist er. He gave His permi ssion so the little girl sat dm-m beside Hil!l. He then mo tioned to Joseph, who was sitting at the opposite side of the room, to come over. Hother sai d to Joe , ' I think 'Abdu' 1-Baha' wants you to go to Hi m. ' So she
..
19
brought him to 'Abdu' 1-Bah~, and He placed him on His other side . t.fother asked 'Abdu'l-Baha if she had not better take off the bandage from Joe ' s head, but He said to leave it on. Joe remarked later, ' I have a cloth on my head , just like 'Abdu'l-Bah~.' The little girl 's narae was Musette Jones, and a beautiful little girl she appears to be .
11The elder l1iss Jones had her tripod focused to take in only 'Abdu ' l-Baha and her sister, so she took the picture first and then explained tha t she did not believe it was focused correctly to. take in the three. She therefore asked for permission to take another one and adjusted her camera to take in t he three . Later, the picture appeared in the rstar of the West' without Joseph. Mother was a good friend of Gertrude Buikema , who was on the Spiritual Assembly at the time, and also she and Hr. Windust were the editors of the 'Star . ' Therefore she asked Gertrude how it happened that Joe had qeen cut off the picture. Gertrude said she had never seen a picture with Joe in it---that the only one which had been submitted to t he Spiritual Assembly was the one with the little girl and 'Abdu'l-Baha alone , according to her knowledge . Hother felt satisfied , then, as she had been a little hurt, thinking possibly (for what reason she could not imagine) that perhaps the Spiritual Assembly did not want Joseph's picture to appear.
"She ordered a dozen prints from Hiss Jones (one for each of our family) and Niss Jones kindly gave her the enlargement (about: 5x7 11
).
Joe wrote recently:
"I feel that through my experience with 'Abdu'l- Baha and also .. through our family, I have always felt close to ' Abdu' l-Baha, as if I really knew Him personally. This closeness has always existed and still does."
Leroy speaks of the Temple and the laying of its cornerstone in
the same talk he gave at the Temple on March 8, 1952 , as follows:
" I recall we used to come out here in the early days when the property was bought . Others who know the history will tell you more in detail that we used to come out here and enjoy this wonderful area . We used to come on to the grounds here and sit and pray, and we used to go down to the beach and swim. Finally when the Haster arrived, the word came that He was coming to the Temple grounds.
"There was nothing here but a prairie with some trees on it, and one thing or another, and a tent had been arranged for a meet ing where He was to speak to the Baha ' is. We didn't understand, some of us at least, that He was going to lay a cornerstone at that time. I recall that we heard the lfaster was going to come off on t o the Temple grounds over here on the Linden Avenue side, and we were all kind of hovering around there in order to be there to meet liim. Suddenly the word ca;ne that He had arrived over on the Sheridan Avenue side , and He was walking across . We rushed to meet Him , and I recall there was a log tha t had fallen and was in His way, and I didn ' t see how the Haster could possibly get over that log, but Re just walked right for it. I rushed up and tried .to move it , but it was about twice as heavy as I could even think
..
20
of moving, and the way He stepped over that log was absolutely miraculous, just like it wasn't t here at all. As he walked around, there were very, very touching scenes . You have heard so much about Net t ie Tobin and the cornerstone which s he brought from the near north side and with great difficulty, and had this inspira tion to bring a stone and to bring it out here. You read that in the Baha 'i World , and you can read it in many places, but one little story that you don't know .
"I remember when we were . all walki ng, t he Haster walked around the gr ounds, everyone walked behind Him, and some of the women were taking His robe and kissing it and others were trying t o get His hand and hold it, and so on, and so forth , and NettieTobin was walking right close up behind Him , and she had some shears, · and suddenly He stopped and He pushed His turban over on the side and some of Hi s locks fell down, and she stepped up with the shears and took a few of those locks. Then the Master put the turban back and put His hair underneath just like He had done it on purpose for her .
11A little later we gathered under t he tent for the laying of the cornerstone, and the Master gave a beautiful talk in which He described the method of the architecture , of the landscaping . After the ~faster delivered His talk, He sat right next to where the cornerstone is now placed . He called one after the other to come up and dig some soil from various countries of t he world.
"I recall Lua Getsinger was there , Roy Wilhe:l:n was there, Dr. Bagdadi was there, mos t of the older Baha ' is whose names you know , if you don't know them personally, were there. They all took the shovel---a common ordinary spade . Finally it came time for the Master Himself to turn some soil for the entire world. Some of the believers stepped up with a gold trowel---wanted Him to use a gold t rowel .
111 noticed, I was sitting-- -I just squeezed right up in front and sat right there on the ground right next to what was going on, so I could see everything , and the Master seemed to be displeased with this gold trowel. He used it a l ittle bit and set it aside . It ·seemed fror.1 what conversation went on in Persian that there was a little distress, then He called for the spade; and I thought, 'Goodness gracious , 'Ab du' 1-Baha , with that delicate little foot of His , can't possibly press that spade into the groun<l~because the others were working and pushing, and so on, and they couldn't do it . The Has t er had t he r.iost delicate features; and as He exposed His foot to put it on the spade, the spade j ust pushed right down and turned the soi l over. Then He called for this famous cornerstone that Nettie Tobin had brought.
"After the meeting was over, one or two of us had an idea that we would like to have some of that soil from that turning over and laying of the corners tone. Young Charlie Greenleaf and I both went up and got a couple of handsful. Young Greenleaf got the idea that he would like to have the Master bless the soil, so he r an and caught the l-1as ter, and the lfas ter blessed the soil. You have seen the picture. I got there just after the Master had turned and l eft, and Char lie said to me,'Wel l , you got here too late for the Master to bl ess your soil, so I will give you half of mine.' That half of mine is now in the Archives. I understand later Charlie also turned hi s soil into the Archives so that soil which was turned by the group at that time and which the Haster blessed is now part of the Archives material of the Fai t h . 11
..
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To elaborate a little further on this incident , I should like to
quote from "The Spell of the Temple , " by Allen B. McDaniel, pages 16-17 .
"11otionless, and in an attitude of waiting , the Master, as 'Abdu ' 1-Baha was called, stood looking into space . Suddenly He move!d, and, as the crowd made way, walked toward a path leading to the street. As the people turned around they saw with amazement a little ol d woman laboriously pulling a small child's express wagon up the incline . Before the onlookers could move , the Master had reached the wagon and guidE~d the little woman up the path to the spot where He had stood. With a smHe lighting up His face, He placed His hand on the head of the woman as if in blessing , and t hen lifted the building stone out of the wagon .
·~ettie Tobin r el ated: ' I had heard that the Master was to be at the Temple site on Hay first, and I thought that He should have a suitable stone to mark the location of the Temple. So I went to a building under construction near my home, and seeing a pile of stones at a wall, I asked the builder if I could get a stone. He said , "Sure , help yourself , these are rejected." So I went home, got an old, small baby carriage , loaded the stone into it and wheeled it home. Early the next morning , with the help of a Persian friend , I wheeled the carriage to the car line, and, against the protests of the conductor, we got the carriage onto the platform of the car. We made two changes and finally, after endless delays, we got the baby carriage to the corner of Central Street and Sheridan Road . Here, when we pushed the carriage over a broken payement, it collapsed. As we stood despairing of getting the stone to the Temple grounds in time, since the hour had passed for the service , two boys with an express wagon came along . The boys were quickly persuaded to lend their wagon for the transportation, and so we finally came to the grounds . Imagine my joy when the 1·'.:itone refused: by the builder" was received and used by the Has ter. 111
We read in Ps alms 118:22 "The stone which the builders refused is
become the head stone of the corner . 11
Another time Hother and Joseph were privileged to be in the presence
of 1 Abdu'1-Baha was when He was leaving Chicago, and they went to the depot to say .
good-bye to 'Abdu'l-Baha . I quote from Nother's words:
"I had taught Joseph , my youngest child, from the time he could talk to say a short evening prayer, adding to it 'Dear 'Abdu' 1-Baha, help oe to be a good boy and make me a good man. ' When 1 Abdu' 1-Baha left Chicago, we went to the depot to bid Him good-bye. We had little Joseph (whom 'Abdu'l-Baha had named when he was one year old) with us, and 'Abdu'lBaha patted his cheek and said: ' He is a good boy, a very good boy; he will be a good man, a very good man . ' Who can say ' Ab du ' 1-Baha did not hear Joseph ' s prayer? 11
22
/ Rudy, the third son, was living in New Jersey when 1Abdu'l-Baha
visited America. He was then 25 years of age. These are copies of letters he
wrote home 1n that period.
"Thursday eve., June 20, 1912.
"Dear Father,
"Well, this has been a very wonderful day for me. I went down to the present home of the Master again about 4:30 this evening; the Master was out but came back about 5:10 and then talked with an Episcopal preacher until about 5:30.
"I had told one of the Persians that I should be very thankful if I might have about a minute with the Master, When He was through with the minister, He came down stairs and passing out, He took my hand and beckoned me to go with Him, Ali Kuli Khan went also, and the Mast1ar led the way out into the park. We would walk for a while, and then He would lead the way to a bench, and we would sit down, and after sitting for a while , He would again get up and walk some more. I was very thankful that there happened to be a very refreshing breeze blowing, for 'Abdu' l·-Baha seemed to enjoy it very much . It does me so much good to see something that way that He enjoys---I am always so glad to hear Him laugh for as a general rule, it does seem to me He carries s uch a wonderfully sad face. Don 't you think so?
"Do you know it was about 7:30 when we returned to His he>use and those at the house had gone out in front , having become anxious over the Master's long abse-..ice.
"Now needless to say, I did not burden the Master with a lot of foolish questions; in fact, I had very little to say as I was pE~rfectly contented to be in the Master's presence, and was grateful to see Him have this little quiet and rest .
"I told the Master how happy He had made Mother at home through the love He had shown her and the children , and He replied He loved our whole family from top to bottom.
"A little later I said you were working very hard for the Cause---that we were all praying for you and asked that He might confirm and pray for you. The Master replied 'Your father shall be assis ted and confirmed, ' 'I pray God that your father may be assisted and confirmed to do his work to suit God's own good pleasure .'
"When we returned to the house, the Master told me to come in, which I did . Mr . Getsinger , Ameen, Ali Kuli Khan , and that lady that wears t he purple gown, also another young Persian were there. At 8:00 I got up to bid the Master good-bye, all the others arose; I shook each of their hands goodbye; asked Ali Kuli Khan to tell the Master how thankful I was and then departed, a very happy boy.
..
"By t~e way, the lady in the purple gown wanted to be remembered to you and Mother. What is her name?
"Tomorrow the Master will go to Montclair, N. J., for a few days and Monday He is going to give a Feast and I hope to have the pleasure of being there.
"Hy He is so good---1 do hope and pray that His health will improve. He does look so worn out. I wish He could be persuaded to take a good rest, but He will work so hard. Occasionally some people would pass us and smile at the Oriental costume---how sad, and how little they appreciate what they are doing. How anybody can look at that Face and not feel the deepest reverence is beyond me.
"Well I have written long . Will close for this time.
"With love to all
(signed) Rudy
"P.S. After you have read this letter would like it back to keep or you keep it for me, as it is a kind of a little outline of my 'Visit with the Master.'
"Dear Father,
(signed) Rudy"
"Orange, New Jersey Dec. 8, 1912
"Of course you know that the Master left this country on. Thursday on the Steamer "Celtic" as mentioned in my letter to Mother written from the boat. I am mighty happy to have been fortunate enough to see the Master come into this country and also be there at His departure. I would like for you all to have been there for it was surely wonderful.
111 reached the doc:k about 10 :00 a.m. and a very few minu:tes later the Master arrived and went into the steamer, and we followe:d Him into His apartments. Somebody gave Him a basket of fruit, and He distributed it among the early comers, and I was fortunate enough to have received a large bunch of green grapes.
"He then led the way to the sitting room and by this time a great crowd of the BelieVE!rs had gathered. Here He gave us His l::.st exhortation, and I took notes of His talk.
"About fifteen minutes before leaving time the visitors were ordered off the boat, but how some of the Believers did linge:r and wait until the last moment. The Master stood at the head of the stairs
23
24
and the Believers bid Him goodbye passing down stairs and off the boat. I stood at the foot of the stairs and it was wonderful to see the e:motions of some of the people at parting with the Haster. Nirza Ali Kuli Khan did not go with Him, and when bidding Him goodbye he cried right out l:i.ke a boy. It is surely grand the reverence with which Ali Kuli Khan looks at the Naster and there is certainly a lesson for the Americans.
"The Persian Consul was on the boat to bid the Naster goodbye and he arra.nged with the boat: management to see that the Naster would be given special attention and not want for anything. I do hope that the weather is favorable during His entire journey.
/ 111 have sent home a photo taken at a banquet given 'Abdu'l-Ilaha
at the Great Northern Hotel. You will note the Persian Consul was also at this banquet. He made a very nice talk praising the Haster very hj.ghly. Mrs. Jones has been here with her little daughter for I guess the past two or three weeks.
"Well I will close this time with love to all.
(signed) Rudy."
/ E P I L 0 G U E
This briefly, then, is an account of the early days of the
/
Ioas family in relation to 'Abdu'l-Baha and the Faith. It makes no
mention of the lectures Father gave, Mother's teaching children's
classes in Chicago along with my sister, or any other single service
rendered by them, their children, or , their grandchildren.
Collectively, they have taught and pioneered (three of them
being Knights of Baha'u'llah) in many parts of the United States and
Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad, South America, the Dutch West
Indies, Hawaii, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Italy, Monaco, France, the
Balearic Islands, and Spain. They have given many lectures at the Baha'i
House of Worship in Wilmette and have guided there for many years. They
have served on Local and National Spiritual Assemblies. In addition to
extensive teaching and lecturing in the United States, Leroy, as a Hand
of the Cause of God and at the request of Shoghi Effendi, lived in Haifa
and took many trips to various parts of the world; i.e., Europe, Asia,
and Africa, as well as America. (For published article about Leroy, see
THE BAHA'I WORLD, Volume XIV, 1963-1968, page 291). /
We are most grateful to 'Abdu'l-Baha for His words in His
letter to Mother of December 15, 1908, in which He wrote:
"I am ever thoughtful concerning that family and ask the Lord of the Kingdom to confirm your household more and more daily. Thus may it serve the Cause of God, move according to its will, spread the Divine fragrances, educate the children, give life to souls and prove the cause of illumination to the world of humanity.
Upon thee be El-Baha-El-Abha."
I thank God continually that we had parents who had such
great spiritual insight and also the determination to succeed in their
quest for Truth . In 1898 when they became Baha' is, they were re:ally
ahead of their time. Speaking of Father and Mother, Leroy said
''They • were pioneers and advance guar ds in the cause of spiritual
democracy • . . who loved the principles of the Heavenly Civil ization
when the world at large did not realize their dynamic power . 11
/ / Ya Baha u'l-Abhal
;;
Tablet to Mr. Charles I oas
Through the mediation of Mr. Chase
To t he honorable Mr. Ioas
0 thou who hast advanced toward God.
By God, I rejoiced when reading thy letter which declares thy belief in the Unity of God, and thine acknowledgment of the appeo.rance of the Kingdom of God. This is a matter whereby thy face shall briBhten in the Supreme Concourse, and thy forehead shall sparkle amongst the people. Then know the wor th of this Gift, the lights of which shone forth unto all directions and indicate the attraction of the Concourse of El-Abha, the }lost Glorious.
Then be firm in this cause and thou wilt behold thyself in a lofty station having al l that is in earth unde r its s hadm1 . Because , this is verily t hat Gift which is mentioned in the Gospel. 0 how good is this Bounty i n this Day , wherein the conunemoration of the true God is published and spread in all directions!
El-Baha be upon thee !
The tablet was received in 1900.
I
Tablet to Hrs . Charles Ioas
Through Hr. Art hur Agnew
'Maria Ioas Chicago
He is God !
0 thou dear maid servant of God.
Thy letter was received and through i ts perusal gladness was obtained . N•me thy dear baby Joseph. I pray for him and ask confin;iation fo r him. I hope thou t:layst become so spiritual as t:o sever and change every soul thou chancest to meet and consort \.lith. I am ever thoughtful concerning that f arnily and ask the Lord of the Kingdom to confirm your household more and more daily . Thus may it serve the cause of God, move according to its will, spread the Divine fragrances, educate the children , give life to souls and prove the cause of illumination to the world of humanity.
Upon thee be
El- Baha-El-Abha.
(signed) E. E. Abdul Baha Abb.:is
Translated by Dr . Far eed , Haifa , December 13, 1908.
/
\
Tabl et to Niss Viola r'l. Ioas
through Shahnaz Khanum upon her be Baha'u ' l l ah- El-Abha .
To the maid-servant of God , Viola M. Ioas , upon her be Baha'u'llahEl- Abha.
Chicago , Illinois
He is God!
0 thou who art longing for the Kingdom.
Praise be to God that thou art illumined by the light of Guidance and hast partaken of and taken share in the Outpourings of the Kingdom of God. Be assured of the Divine Favors and turn· thy face completely unto the Kingdom of Abha . Thus thou wilt gain a part in the breaths of the Holy Spirit .
Upon thee be Baha-El-Abha .
(signed) ' Abdu'l-Baha Abbas
Tr anslated in Mt . Carmel Haifa , Syria, August H. , 1914 .
Tablet to Miss Margarite H. Ioas
To: Margarite H. Ioas , unto her be the Glory of God, the Most Glor ious .
c/o Mr . Arthur Redeen,
He is God1
0 thou who art attracted to Truth 1
To the affectionate Lord do I pray to bestow upon thee assistance and confirmation so that thou mayst be occupied in service to the Kingdom of God and like unto a candle mayst thou be enkindled with the fire of the love of God.
Unto thee be the Glory of Abhat
December 2, 19.20.
Trans. by Azizullah S . Bahadur Haifa , Palestine
(signed) Abdul Baha Abbas
/
HOW IT HAPPENED THAT JOSEPH HAD HIS PICTURE TAKEN WITH 'ABDU 1L-BAH.A IN 1912
/ Mother said that when 'Abdu'l-Baha was here in Chicago, staying at the Plaza Hotel, she went a number of times to see Him as He would spend most of His time talking with the believers. She said on one of the days she promised Joseph that the next day she would take him along. Unfc::>rtunately, the same day he fell and cut a gash in his forehead. It was necessary to call the doctor, who took several stitches in his head. (I remember it well, because I held Joe still while the doctor took the stitches, which called for all my personal fortitudet) The doctor placed the white bandage on Joe's head and told Mother not to let Jo1a take it off and also that he should be careful not to jar the skin which had been sewed.
That night Joe was saying sadly that he would not be able to seia 'Abdu'l-Baha the next day, but Mother conforted him by saying, "Let's wait and see. Maybe tomorrow you will be much better." This proved to be the case, so the next day they both went to see 1 Abdu'l-Baha,
They were sitting in one of the rooms of the hotel , along with :some other people, waiting for 'Abdu'l-Baha to make His appearance. When He did so, a young woman with a camera rose quickly, went over to Mrs. Getsinger and requested her to ask 'Abdu 1 l-Baha if He would allow he:r to take His picture with her little sister. He gave His permission, so the little girl sat down beside Him. He then motioned to Joseph, who wa:s sitting at the opposite side of the room, to come over. Mother said to Joe, "I think 'Abdu'l-Bana wants you to go to Him." So she brought him to 'Abdu 1 l-Bah~ and He placed him on His other side. Mother asked 'Abdu'l-Baha if she had not better take off the bandage from Joe's h1ead, but He said to leave it on. Joe remarked later, "I have a cloth on my head just like 'Abdu'l-Baha. The little girl's name was Rouhieh Jonias, and a beautiful little girl she appears to be.
The elder Miss Jones had her tripod focussed to take in only · 'Abdu'l-Baha and her sister, so she took that picture first and then explained that she did not believe it was focussed correctly to take in three, She, therefore, asked for permission to take another one and adjusted her camera to take in the three. Later, the pie tu re appear1ed in the "Star of the West," without Joseph. Mother was a good friend of Gertrude Buikema, who was on the Spiritual Assembly at the time and .also she and Hr. Windust were the editors of the "Star." Therefore, she .asked Gertrude how it happened that Joe had been cut off of the picture. Gertrude said she had never seen a picture with Joe in it - that the only one which had beer. submitted to the Spiritual Assembly was the one with the little girl and 'Abdu'l-Bah~ alone, according to her knowledge. Mother felt satisfied, then, as she had been a little hurt, thinking possibly (for what reason she could not imagine) that perhaps the Spiritual Assembly did not want Joseph's picture to appear.
She ordered a dozen prints from Miss Jones (one for each of our family), and Miss Jones kindly gave her the enlargement (about S" x 7").
(signed) Viola M. Ioas Tuttle
"
I\ "- -
---------~--,.--. -" -- - -----·---·.----~~==~-======J...:l""-"O..- ,...._.,....., _ _ _ ,.,,
'Abdu'l-Baha with Kouhieh Jones and Joseph Ioas
(in the Plaza Hotel in Chicago in 1912)
